Holland school board sets guidelines for spending $73 million for improvements

HOLLAND -- So you think spending $73 million is easy? Try telling that to Holland Board of Education members and administrators, who are knee deep in planning for the districtwide projects voters approved in May.

The board approved paying three companies a combined $3.25 million this week to provide construction management and technology consultant services.

But before that approval, the district established guidelines of what it wanted to accomplish in hiring consultants and construction managers, including hiring local firms and getting local people back to work, requested proposals from companies, had mandatory walk-throughs of all schools, and reviewed the proposals.

Jim English and Brett Roach, directors of finance and facilities, respectively, made recommendations to Superintendent Brian Davis. Finalists were chosen and interviewed and a recommendation was made to the board's finance committee, which evaluated the proposals before making its picks to the full board.

"This comes as a result of a lot of background work and a lot of deep digging," board President Steve Grose said of the combined 11 weeks of work.

GDK/OAK of Grand Rapids and Holland will get almost $2 million for construction management of work at Holland High School and Jefferson and Holland West elementaries. Lakewood Construction of Holland will receive about $850,000 to do the same at VR-Tech High and Holland East and Holland Heights elementaries. Communications By Design of Ida will handle technology consulting at all buildings for about $450,000.

English said design work has begun for the soccer field and tennis courts across from the high school, with the athletic director, coaches and players among those involved.

English said a team working on the high school design will tour in the next two weeks five high schools that have been built in the past six to seven years, including Holland Christian. He said he would like to get more residents involved in the process.